The purpose of this study was to investigate the meaning of the psychodrama process as experienced by individuals who claim that it resulted in significant change. Using an existential-phenomenological approach, the study described the meaning of the experience for six adult co-researchers. The co-researchers were asked to describe their experiences before, during, and after their psychodramas. Two interviews were conducted and these were tape recorded and transcribed. The transcripts were analyzed and themes were formulated which were validated by the co-researchers and woven into an exhaustive description of the psychodrama experience. The exhaustive description was condensed into an essential structure. Both the exhaustive description and the essential structure were validated by all the co- researchers. The results support elements of both psychodrama and Gestalt theory, as well as current theories of group development. Implications for counselling and further research are discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

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The main purpose of the research was to explore factors that facilitate learning in psychodynamic counselling courses. The psychodynamic approach has no intrinsic theory of learning. The research approach was therefore conceptualised from a sociocultural model to enable an understanding of students’ learning within the social concept of the course. The learning environments were Higher Education psychodynamic counselling courses at two UK Universities. Eight adult students were encouraged to use qualitative judgements and personal views and reflections on what supported or constrained their learning during the course of their studies. Data were collected at important points across four years of study and analysed from a critical understanding of sociocultural theories (Vygotsky, 1934, 1962) and psychoanalytic/psychodynamic psychotherapeutic theories (Freud, 1963). Results are presented for a qualitative study from snapshots in time in the light of these seminal theorists’ work as well as more modern theorists’ application of historic thought to modern circumstance. Nine dominant themes emerged from data analysis, which related to students’ personal development. These themes were: autonomy; self-changes; closeness; encouragement/ discouragement; individual learning process; ambivalence about judging the tutor; private life; self-esteem and confidence. The over-arching theme that emerged was the tutor-student relationship, understandable in sociocultural constructivist terms as enabling learning within a zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1978, 1986) and in psychodynamic terms as provision of a secure base from which students journeyed towards autonomous independent learning. The outcome suggests that eliciting and analysing students’ views may be important when planning and teaching counselling training in order to meet students’ individual learning needs. The originality of this research lies in its use of elements of the two paradigms to create lenses in an innovative way. A sociocultural constructivist framework has been used through which to understand psychodynamic counselling learning and training.

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This thesis is an exploration of the psychodynamic body and its mythos. I take a phenomenological approach to research that remains connected to lived experience. I begin with image making, painting from the subjective body in response to the ancient Mesopotamian myth of the flood and archaic cultural material on the flood theme. I discover a relationship between this imagery, this mythos, and earlier work on the Dionysian mythology and mysteries. I gather these images together and with work on my own family history I create a painting performance titled Wings from the Deep. The mythos, the poetic structure, of this performance and this thesis, is an exploration of how a people, a person, a body, can journey through traumatic states. The core phenomenon of this thesis is the psychodynamic movement from deadness to aliveness, a movement at the heart of the psychotherapeutic process. I apply knowledge of the psychotherapeutic conversation to the research process by writing to an important other, Etty Hillesum, a young Dutch Jewish woman who wrote a series of diaries during the Holocaust. I then link this conversation with my earlier imagery and the images of the Holocaust to the biblical myth of the flood. This linking of somatic states to mythic material through imagery and text is how I develop the poetic language integral to this thesis. I create a constant dialogue from body to image to word, a process, a language, that mirrors psychotherapy. The psychodynamic body structures the mythos of this thesis. The psychodynamic body structures a mythos of psychotherapy. CD SOUNDTRACK AND DVD PERFORMANCE AVAILABLE AT UWS LIBRARY. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Psychology, 2003. / Title from first page of PDF document. Document formatted into pages; contains iii, 50 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 36-38).

In response to Kleiger's (this issue) unique invitation to interpret a Rorschach case study from multiple psychoanalytic perspectives, I was asked to present a Rorschach interpretation from Sullivan's interpersonal psychodynamic theory (IPT) perspective. In reviewing the literature, I found no theoretical papers specifically addressing IPT Rorschach interpretation. As such this article will be an initial attempt to integrate the Rorschach with IPT. I will present a brief overview of some of Sullivan's most relevant IPT concepts, suggest where to find them on the Rorschach Comprehensive System (CS), and apply IPT Rorschach variables to the case of Ms. B. Special attention will be given to how the IPT model aids in the dynamic understanding of the Ms. B.'s internal experience and personality functioning; what formal features of the Rorschach lend themselves to key constructs in the model; and how the IPT model addresses the referral questions and adds to an understanding of treatment issues, including likely transference/countertransference themes.

As applied psychologists, educational psychologists are often involved when situations surrounding a child are complex (Lane and Corrie, 2006) and much of an EP's work is problem-centred (BPS, 2002). To make EPs effective in their role they need to be able to apply a range of theories and frameworks, specific to the clients involved, with projective techniques being part of a 'professional tool kit', which EPs can use when they feel appropriate in an open minded and child focused way. PTs have their roots in psychodynamic theory, with a belief that ambiguous stimuli will allow meaning to be given from the internal processes of the unconscious and enable these unconscious processes to be observed (Levin-Rozalis, 2006). The current research aims to address the use of PTs in relation to educational psychology practice in the UK, and looks at the challenges to EPs who are using PTs, the reported benefits and an exploration of why some EPs may not be open to the use of such techniques. Eight practising EPs participated in semi-structured interviews, two from a specialist sample who used PTs and six from a broader sample. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was used to identify key themes pertaining to the potential contribution, and the facilitators and barriers of using PTs and a psychodynamic framework for EPs based in the UK, aiming to add to the minimal academic research base and to encourage acceptance, usage and future training.

The purpose of this research was to inquire into the subjective experience of participants of psychodynamic group art therapy.This investigation was designed to record participants' responses and understanding of their art-making and their artwork in therapy. The qualitative methodology of phenomenography was chosen to record the art-making process. The sample included three women from a women's centre and six university students. A single interview was conducted with each of the nine participants and included their artwork from the group art therapy. Group art therapy committed to a participant's personal development was effective in contributing to a resolution of personal conflicts, whereas group art therapy committed to professional development was effective in stimulating group dynamics, but the participants were guarded when discussing the personal content of their artwork. / Master of Arts (Hons) (Art Therapy)

Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2003.